


Home

by crystalfox



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: AU, Angst, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-03
Updated: 2018-04-03
Packaged: 2019-04-04 02:58:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14010681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crystalfox/pseuds/crystalfox
Summary: Finn gets some answers about his past.





	Home

In the days after the defeat of the First Order, Finn’s friends discussed the future, from their wildest dreams to more realistic ideas of what they could do. However, Finn found it all a bit overwhelming, he was completely unsure of what he wanted to do now that he had the unlimited freedom to choose.

Somehow, and Finn suspected it was because of the Force, Leia knew how he was feeling. She found him sitting alone one day, and she proceeded to tell him that it didn’t matter, he had all the time in the galaxy to make decisions. Before then informing him, that if and only _if_ he wanted, she could put him in contact with someone who might be able to tell him about his past and his family.

It was definitely not what he was expecting to hear. He’d been so focused on worrying about what to do next, that he hadn’t given much thought to his past lately. Finn thought long and hard about it, he was _very_ curious, he always had been, but he was also apprehensive about what he might find out. He decided that he could take things one step at a time, there was no rush after all, and see how he felt.

–

Finn stepped into a large, stylish office, decorated with plush, expensive-looking furniture. He felt anxious about the meeting. The immaculately dressed man behind the desk stood up and slowly made his way towards Finn.

Holding out his hand in greeting, he smiled, “I’m Lando Calrissian. You must be Finn! I’ve heard a lot about you.”

He looked friendly and kind, and Finn’s anxiety eased a bit, as he gave a firm handshake, and replied, “Hi. I’ve heard a lot about you too.”

Lando was a war hero, a big deal, he’d fought along side Leia, Han, and Luke. At first, Finn had felt nervous to meet him but then he remembered that now, he too was a war hero.

“Please, take a seat.” Lando gestured to a comfortable looking chair in front of his desk, as he settled into the seat the other side, where he began to tap away at his datapad.

Sitting down, Finn asked, “So, how does this work?”

“Did you bring your datapad?” At Finn’s nod, he continued, “Then I can transfer all the information right now, if you’d like.”

“Right now? That’s quick. I mean….I didn’t realise you’d have it right now.”

“Yup. As soon as Leia said you were interested, I started to investigate. I know a lot of people, so I’ve got a lot of contacts. The galaxy is a big place but it’s also a very small place, if you know what I mean. Everyone talks, if you know the right questions to ask. Now, the information that I’ve collected doesn’t come from anyone I know directly, but I trust everyone who has provided it and they trust everyone they got it from. So, I believe that everything is accurate.”

“Ok.” Finn nodded slowly, feeling a bit lost for words. It was all happening a lot quicker than he had imagined it would.

“This must be a lot to deal with.” Lando looked at him carefully. “I’ve always found that, when I’ve got a decision to make, it’s best to consider all the possible outcomes. To prepare yourself for whatever might happen. You don’t have to look at the information now, or ever if you don’t want to, take your time and think about it. But it’s here, when you want it. _If_ you want it.”

For a few moments, Finn sat in silence, before he tentatively asked, “Did you know your parents?”

“Yeah, I did. I was very lucky.”

"Guess that makes me unlucky." Finn sighed.

Lando didn't reply, just looked at him sadly.

Finn decided to change the subject, "Is this something you do often? Trace people?"

Leaning back in his chair, Lando shook his head, "No. Leia just asked me if I could help and I thought I could, so I gave it a go. I made sure to be as thorough as possible though."

"Thank you. This is....I don't know what to say."

"No need for thanks. I'm just happy to help. What happened to you was awful. I hope....that there's something here that will be useful."

—

Lando had transferred the files to Finn's datapad. _Birth name, birth date, home address, parents names, parents occupations, misc._ He had stared at the file names for a long time before choosing to click on the one marked ' _home address_ '. Finn didn't feel quite ready to know his original name yet or look at the information about his parents. The home address file seemed like a good place to start as it seemed the least daunting.

Finn had been born in the small town of Halimire, on the planet Teplenia, in the Qolis star system, in the Outer Rim. He had never heard of the planet, let alone the star system. But as he looked at the address on the screen, he longed to go there, to be able to know exactly what that place felt like. 

His friends wanted to go with him, and, while he was touched by their concern, he wanted to do this alone. It was something he _needed_ to do alone. Except, as the day neared and he prepared to leave, he found that the idea of the two day trip alone made him feel slightly nervous. He supposed that he should ask his friends but he wanted someone who would give him space and he wasn’t sure that they would, although they meant well. So, he asked Lando, it felt right to have someone who knew the situation but didn’t know him too well and who wouldn’t fuss over him. 

It turned out to be the right choice. Lando was very perceptive, able to tell when Finn wanted to talk and when he preferred a comfortable silence. When they did talk, it was light conversation about nothing too serious or heavy which Finn appreciated as it gave him a chance not to worry or overthink things. 

—

“This seems as good a place as any to land.” Lando murmured, causing Finn to peer out at a deserted landing port. 

“It’s abandoned?” Finn asked in surprised, as Lando turned off the ship’s engines. 

“Looks like.” Lando turned to him, shaking his head gently. “I’m sorry, none of the information I was given mentioned this. I mean.....my contacts didn’t know much about the town but I just assumed that meant it was small, not abandoned.” 

"What do you think happened?"

"Could be the First Order drove people away or they could have left of their own accord if the First Order took control of resources around here."

"Usually, they destroy the towns though. Well....they did when I was a stormtrooper. Maybe this was before they started doing that, could be that this happened when the First Order was on the rise so they didn't want to draw attention to what they were doing."

"That makes sense."

They stepped off the vessel and walked slowly towards what looked to be a main thoroughfare. The town was fairly small, surrounded by a wide valley filled with patches of forests on one side and rolling, grassy hills on the other. The square buildings were an attractive mixture of light grey sandstone and silvery metal, which was now dull but once would have shined. The two-and-three story houses and businesses were neatly designed, fitting together smoothly on either side of the straight streets. Clearly, it had been a pleasant and comfortable place to live. However, dark green and deep blue weeds had sprung up in the roads and pavements, and white, creeping vines had grown across large areas of the outside of the buildings. 

They walked silently along the empty street and Finn tried to imagine what it had been like when it was busy and full of people. He wondered how many times his parents had walked up and down this road when it was clean and tidy, if they would be shocked at the way nature had taken over their home town. Finn was jolted out of his dreaming by Lando stopping in front of one particular building. He pulled one of the vines away to reveal a house number and a keypad by the door. The number was 42, which Finn remembered had been in the information, this was his parents' house. _His home._

The three-storey building was the same grey sandstone as the rest of the town, with the same dull silvery metal details. The door was a faded light blue, the keypad and number were rusty with age.

"We should have brought a droid." Finn noted sadly as he looked at the keypad, knowing there was no way they would be able to guess the combination to unlock the door.

However, Lando had produced a small pouch from _somewhere_ underneath his voluminous cape and was pulling out a series of delicate looking tools. He proceeded to pull off the casing of the keypad and was fiddling with the mess of wires.

At Finn's surprised expression, Lando gave him a quick glance and a brief smile, he muttered, "A little something I learned from a friend in my misspent youth."

"From Han Solo?"

Lando paused momentarily, "Yeah. Of course, I forgot, you met him, didn't you....before...." He trailed off and continued working on the keypad.

Finn let him work, understanding that Lando didn't want to talk about his friend's death, but he couldn't help imagining Han and Lando, young, running around, getting into trouble. Finn thought that they must have had quite a few fun adventures.

Before long, Lando was putting his tools away and the door opened softly and slowly, revealing a dark hallway.

"I'll wait out here." Lando said gently, as he walked off towards a battered looking bench, leaving Finn alone.

—

Finn took a deep breath and stepped through the open door into the cool hallway, his eyes adjusting to the dim light. It wasn't completely dark and Finn found that there was some light coming in from the dusty, vine-covered windows, so he could see the interior. The air was stale and there was a musty smell. It had been a long time since anyone had been here, but, as he stepped into the spacious living room, he noted that everything looked tidy. He had suspected that, because of the locked door, no-one had ransacked the empty house, and as he looked around, he realised he was correct.

_The last people here were my parents._

Everything was covered in a fine layer of dust and a few cobwebs hung from the ceiling. There were two large sofas, a couple of comfortable looking chairs, a glass table, and rows of empty shelves. Yes, the place hadn't been ransacked but his parents had clearly left, taking their most important possessions with them. There were no pictures or ornaments, but Finn could see from the darker areas on the shelves that there had been, at one time.

Suddenly, Finn's legs felt weak and he sat down heavily on one of the sofas. He knew he would feel angry when he came here, and he did, furious at the fact he had been stolen, that his life and his parents' lives had been ruined. But, along with that dull ache of anger, he also felt terribly exhausted. All his life he had wondered and imagined and thought about his parents and where he had come from, and now he was actually here, it was like he could feel the weight of all those years of suffering all at once. He leaned back on the sofa, letting out a deep sigh. Life could be so incredibly unfair.

So many different thoughts ran through Finn's mind. _What would it have been like to grow up here? What kind of life would he have had? Would he have been very different?_ He knew he would never be able to answer these questions and that, ultimately, it was pointless to wonder. But he couldn't help it, being curious was natural.

It was so quiet, the air so still, that Finn felt he could fall into a deep slumber. It was strange, because although there was a feeling of emptiness, Finn also felt an unusual sense of safety in this house. Finn felt that he belonged there, and he could almost sense the love and the care that had been here, as though his parents had left an imprint of their feelings for him there for him to discover. 

Finn decided he should take a look at the rest of the house, so he heaved himself off the sofa and wandered towards the staircase. He took his time going upstairs, uncertain of what he would find there. Several closed doors along a carpeted corridor greeted him and he went into the one closest.

There was a large, neatly made double bed and mirrored closets, now cleared of any clothing. _This must have been my parents bedroom._  Finn drew his fingers through the layer of dust on one of the cabinets, wondering, if he’d not been taken, whether he would have climbed into the bed when he’d had a nightmare or woken his parents up early on his birthday. So many tiny, precious moments had been lost. So much potential happiness had been ripped away. 

As he looked around the bedroom, decorated in soft, neutral blues and greens, he wondered where the crib was. Perhaps there was a nursery somewhere. He left the room, glancing back one last time, and entered the room next door. It was a sweetly decorated nursery, in pastel yellows and blues, which reminded Finn of a sunny, summer day. There was a rocking chair, a chest of drawers, and a large crib. Empty of any toys, clothes, or ornaments, Finn was overwhelmed by a bittersweet feeling. The love and care that he had felt downstairs was stronger here and he blinked back tears. He had been here once, long ago, and he had been so very loved. 

The anger that had been a dull ache was now a sharp pain. He would have been so happy and content here. Finn fought back an anguished scream and slammed his open hands down on the top of the chest of drawers with a loud thud. The noise sounded out of place in the silence of the house. He allowed himself to cry now, the tears cascaded down his face and he sobbed inconsolably. Finn let the rage, the misery, and the loss flow through him. He grieved for his lost life, his lost family, and for everything that could have been. After awhile, he began to regain his composure and he dried his eyes on his shirt sleeve. It felt cathartic to let out all those pent up emotions, he wasn’t over this by any stretch of the imagination but the sharp pain had once again faded to a dull ache. 

Finn took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself more and stepped towards the crib to take a closer look. It had been made up, like the bed in his parents’ room, and there were pillows and blankets carefully stitched with various animal shapes. However, there was something odd about the crib, there was a small lump under the blanket. Finn frowned, wondering if perhaps there was a toy hidden beneath. He gently lifted the soft material to see what was underneath and was surprised to see an old comms device. 

Finn’s heart started to beat faster as he picked up the device, turning it over in his hands which were shaking ever so slightly. He paused for a moment before he switched it on, bracing himself for whatever he might discover on it. There was a low whirring as it powered on slowly. For a second, Finn thought it might not work but then the screen turned from black to blue. It worked. 

He stared unbelievingly at the screen, unable to take in what he was seeing. It was a picture, a beautiful young woman and a handsome young man, with joyful, smiling expressions full of love, holding a tiny sleeping baby. It was him and his parents. Finn had never seen such a wonderful picture in his whole life. It was the best thing he’d ever seen. The tears threatened to return and he wiped his eyes with one hand. Staring longingly at his family, taking in every detail of their faces, their expressions, their _happiness._  He was so preoccupied with the holopicture that he almost missed the message underneath. 

_We will find you._

As Finn read the words, he was filled with an unwavering, powerful certainty, unlike anything he had ever felt before, that they _would_  find him or that _he_ would find _them._ They had left him this message because they had gone to find him. Closing his eyes, he held the comms device to his chest, over his heart. The hopeless rage from earlier had been replaced by a nervous optimism. He had something tangible that, along with the information with Lando, could lead him to his parents. Finn realised that this was the beginning of a journey. One that may prove to be difficult and lengthy, but Finn was sure that he could embark upon it. After everything he’d been through already, he felt he could handle anything. 

Finn examined the rest of the house, absorbing and commiting to memory all the features and aspects of what should have been his childhood home. He was determined never to forget this place and, perhaps, he would be able to come back here one day with his parents. For now, there was a lot to do, and he was itching to get started. 

—

As he stood outside the house, he placed his hand on the wall by the door, feeling the rough sandstone. Lando ambled over to him, a curious expression on his face. 

“Did you find anything -” Lando paused, struggling to find the right word, “useful?”

Holding the comms device in his hand, Finn glanced down, a small smile on his face, “Yeah, yeah, I did.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> Just had to include Lando in this because he's my fave and I jump at any opportunity to put him in a fic.
> 
> Sorry this ended so vaguely, I have several ideas about Finn’s parents and I’m not sure which one to go with. So, there may be a sequel.
> 
> Feedback/constructive criticism/comments welcome!


End file.
